Steven Shorter is the ultimate British music star. His music is listened to by everyone from pre-teens to grandparents. He has no trace of public bad habits or drug involvement. Everyone in... See full summary »

In England, the times are a changing: it's mods and rockers. On the day Nancy gets off the London train, cases in hand, looking for the YWCA, Colin has had enough of missing out on the ... See full summary »

The Seventies Folk is a 1975 television docu-drama written and directed by Peter Watkins that was produced by Dansmark Radio. The tele-film explores the high suicide rate in Denmark, the ... See full summary »

Storyline

Steven Shorter is the ultimate British music star. His music is listened to by everyone from pre-teens to grandparents. He has no trace of public bad habits or drug involvement. Everyone in Britain loves him. His handlers begin to use his popularity for projects like increasing the consumption of apples after a bumper crop as an aid to farmers. The handlers decide that Steven should support God and Country next. This leads to, among other things, a rock version of "Onward Christian Soldiers," and the inclusion of a Nazi salute to make it clear (to the viewer) how far the British population will be taken for love of God and Country under Steven's guidance. Steven is very plastic in his direction, shifting as his handlers point him toward new projects until he meets Vanessa Ritchie, an artist who makes him look at what's happening. Written by
John Vogel {jlvogel@comcast.net}

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

Did You Know?

Trivia

Quotes

Rev. Jeremy Tate:
This black card will be issued to you as you leave the Stadium tonight. On it there are three words.They are simple words but they are vital words. They are words which we must now, all of us, begin using because, since the end of the War, we in Britain have become apathetic, slack, loose in our morality. National cohesion has become unimportant to us! We must fight this. We must. Now, all of us begin to use the words on the card! "We will conform."
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

User Reviews

Privilege was Peter Watkins' feature length debut. Using the faux documentary style, Watkins' follows a year in the life of a pop star. Stephen Shorter, Britian's most beloved pop icon. Shorter's handlers pimp him out to the highest bidder. What's so scary about this movie is how it's still relevant, even in today's society. One of my favorite scenes in this movie is when the Church of England uses Shorter's services to try and lure more converts. Utilizing a set that's eerily reminded me of a large Nazi youth rally (crosses replacing swastikas) The crowd is led by a young charismatic priest (who speeches commands an audience like Hitler)he leads the audience chanting "We will conform".

Critics called this movie heavy handed and others called it paranoid. I say it's excellent and Mr. Watkins did a fantastic job directing this film. It's too bad this movie's virtually impossible to find. Oh well, if you ever happen to come across it don't even stop and pause. Watch it!

Highly recommended.

Factoid: A movie and audio clip from this movie can be found on the Big Audio Dynamite song and video "Just Play The Music"

18 of 21 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?